NBA Trade Rumors: Latest Buzz on Potential 2015 Draft-Day Moves
In the final hours before the 2015 NBA draft, the ratio of what you hear to what you can actually trust is rather high. Misdirection is the name of the front office game at this point, which makes prospect-to-team projections exceedingly difficult.
Apart from the Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Lakers, who appear to be set with twin bigs Karl-Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor, no player is a sure bet to end up in any slot. However, with a relatively solid lottery class in terms of depth, there's been plenty of buzz about teams moving around the board to target certain players.
Two days out from Adam Silver announcing the first pick, let's survey the latest whisperings surrounding potential draft-day trades, evaluating the benefits and drawbacks of each potential move.
Knicks Looking at Kaminsky?
The New York Knicks are an organization with a bevy of options after falling out of the top two during the lottery. With a no-brainer choice of Towns or Okafor off the table, CBS Sports' Ken Berger reports that Phil Jackson and Co. are considering a wide variety of options with the No. 4 pick, which may include trading away the pick:
"Amid reports that the Knicks are open to moving down from No. 4 to pick up a first-rounder in 2016 (when their pick goes to Denver or Toronto), there are rival executives who view that as a dangerous game for Jackson to play. One such executive, who has been in contact with the Knicks, told CBSSports.com Monday there is "internal debate" within the Knicks' front office about whether to use the fourth pick or trade it.
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Adding future picks would replenish a war chest that has gotten depleted by ill-advised trades. The Knicks will owe their pick to either the Denver Nuggets or Toronto Raptors next season, and recouping something in 2016 could be vital toward the rebuilding project.
If New York does move down, Sporting News' Sean Deveney suggested that Wisconsin big Frank Kaminsky could be the target later in the lottery. Though Kaminsky could provide valuable spacing for the offense, he certainly doesn't provide the ball-handling or rim protection the Knicks desperately need, leaving many skeptical of such a move:
"Knicks like Kaminsky because of the triangle. I don't think making a terrible pick because of a shape is a good idea.
— Sports Spot (@SportsSpotNet) June 22, 2015"
Unless New York gets a dynamite trade offer, it can't really afford to come out of this draft without a premium talent to pair with Carmelo Anthony. Pro-ready Ohio State guard D'Angelo Russell would seem like the top choice if he falls past the 76ers at pick No. 3, but toolsy projects Emmanuel Mudiay and Kristaps Porzingis could also entice with their ceilings.
Kings Trying to Move Down?
The Sacramento Kings have been in a state of perpetual turnover the past decade and are still trying to construct the core that can carry them back to contention. Having busted on a slew of latter-half top-10 picks in recent years, there's talk that the Kings could switch things up and move back instead of taking another pick at a roughly similar draft slot:
Moving down is a vague conception, but it becomes interesting when paired with another rumor. ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported that the Kings, Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic are involved in blockbuster talks surrounding DeMarcus Cousins, who would head to L.A.
In his article, Stein mentions the possibility of Nikola Vucevic moving to Sacramento, which would fulfill Mannix's suggestion that the Kings are seeking veteran talent:
"Sources say that the Lakers, Kings and Orlando Magic have had exploratory dialogue on a three-way Cousins trade that would land the 24-year-old in Los Angeles. All three teams hold top-6 picks in Thursday's NBA draft, and Orlando has a young top-flight center of its own in Nikola Vucevic, who could theoretically fill the Cousins void.
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Of course, Vucevic wouldn't fill the same shoes as Cousins, whose 25.29 player efficiency rating ranked ninth in the league, according to ESPN.com's Hollinger stats. The logic of this trade also seems far-fetched when considering that the Lakers have virtually no enticing future assets to provide for a budding All-Star.
The Cousins talks aren't likely to slow down, but for now, the Kings might be better off dangling the sixth pick for someone like Denver Nuggets point guard Ty Lawson. Alternatively, a team like the Boston Celtics could offer intriguing assets like the Brooklyn Nets' unprotected first-rounders in 2016 and 2018.
Hardaway Jr. to Motown?
This doesn't involve a direct discussion of draft picks, but there's buzz that Knicks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. could move on draft night nonetheless. ESPN.com's Ian Begley suggested that veteran guard Brandon Jennings, returning from an Achilles tear, could be the trade bait in a possible swap with the Detroit Pistons:
"If you're looking for any clues regarding potential draft-night trades, here's one: the Detroit Pistons are said to have interest in trading for Tim Hardaway Jr. and have tried to engage the Knicks on a deal, per league sources.
Detroit may be looking to move guard Brandon Jennings because the organization traded for fellow guard Reggie Jackson last season. Jackson will be a restricted free agent this summer.
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Hardaway's shooting percentages went down as a primary scoring option on the woeful Knicks, but the Michigan alum built on a promising rookie season in 2014-15. Per Basketball-Reference.com, his PER remained roughly consistent despite a big uptick in usage rate, an indication of his development on the boards and on the defensive end.
Indeed, SNY's Adam Zagoria has already relayed a source who debunked the idea of a Hardaway trade. A potential deal would be exclusively a salary dump from New York's perspective. The Knicks could use a trade exception to absorb Jennings' $8.3 million expiring deal, with the understanding that he'd likely contribute little to the 2015-16 cause.
Detroit would surely love someone like Hardaway to provide depth behind Reggie Jackson, but the Knicks are in no position to let go of cost-controlled talent. Assuming Detroit doesn't offer a valuable future asset, this deal seems unlikely to pass through.
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